C h a p t e r 2
Zonal architecture will completely change
automotive design. The separation of
vehicle electronics into zones reduces
the complexity of cable management
within the vehicle, both in terms of the
number of wires and the length of the
harness. The connection of devices to
a zonal controller will be made locally,
keeping cable runs short. These short
cable runs will apply to data and power
cables, as the zonal controller serves
as both a processing hub and a power
distribution module.
The zonal controllers and central
computing cluster will be linked with high-
speed networking connections, using
the twisted-pair construction familiar to
network installers. The length of copper
cabling required throughout the vehicle
will be greatly reduced, even while
accounting for the redundancy demanded
by safety-critical systems.
The effect of zonal architecture on the
vehicle manufacturing process will be
significant. The reduced size of cable
harnesses will greatly simplify installation.
Manufacturers can assemble wiring and
equipment zone by zone and deliver
subassemblies such as bumpers to the
production line with sensors and lights
ready for connection.
DESIGNING FOR
NEW ARCHITECTURES
Sameer Nargund
Technical Architect, Continental AG
Try to make the system as
simple as possible although it
obviously appears to be complex.
The power distribution in each
zone is the challenging portion of
the zonal architecture."
13
Zonal Architecture: Delivering New Standards of Connectivity for Automotive and Beyond
